‘Excited for the next chapter’: Nebraska transfer QB Adrian Martinez picks K-State
Kansas State may have found its next starting quarterback.
The Wildcats added a big name to their offense on Thursday when Nebraska transfer Adrian Martinez announced that he will enroll at K-State next semester and finish his college football career in Manhattan.
“Excited for the next chapter,” he wrote on social media.
Fans have been buzzing about the possibility of Martinez joining the Wildcats ever since he placed his name in the NCAA transfer portal following a four-year run with the Cornhuskers. They seem like a good match. Wildcats coach Chris Klieman could use a veteran quarterback to replace Skylar Thompson next season. And Martinez is familiar with K-State, as he is dating a member of the school’s soccer team.
The Wildcats expect to return three other scholarship quarterbacks next season in Will Howard, Jaren Lewis and Jake Rubley. It’s possible one of those three younger quarterbacks could out play Martinez during summer practices and win the starting job next year, but odds seem to favor the newcomer.
At the very least, Martinez will add much needed experience and competition at the position.
Martinez was a four-year starter at Nebraska who played in 39 games with the Huskers. He has thrown for 8,495 yards and 45 touchdowns while also rushing for 2,288 yards and 35 touchdowns.
He has one year of eligibility remaining, so it will be interesting to see how quickly Martinez can adjust to a new offense.
His stats at Nebraska were eye-popping, but the Huskers never won more than five games in a season while he was there. He was has also been turnover prone throughout his career, and K-State prioritizes taking care of the ball on offense.
Martinez is also coming off a season-ending injury to his right shoulder that required surgery. That should prevent him from taking part in spring practices, which means he will have to learn K-State’s offense quickly next summer.
Still, he may not need an abundance of time with the Wildcats to start moving the chains. His skills as a runner could pair nicely with Deuce Vaughn and open up things in the passing game that haven’t been there in recent seasons.
This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 7:02 PM with the headline "‘Excited for the next chapter’: Nebraska transfer QB Adrian Martinez picks K-State."